Global Mangrove Plastic Polution

This dataset provides a global meta-analysis of macroplastic and microplastic pollution within mangrove ecosystems, extracted from 44 peer-reviewed studies published before January 2022. The data include macroplastic abundances (items m⁻²) within mangrove forests and microplastic abundances (microplastics kg⁻¹, L⁻¹, or individual⁻¹/gram⁻¹) in water, sediment, and biota. Sampling sites were analyzed globally, with site coordinates standardized and linked to protected area status using the Protected Planet database. Microplastic abundance data for biota were classified by site and Taxonomic Class and, for Actinopterygii, further categorized by life history (benthic, bentho-pelagic, or pelagic) to assess habitat influence on microplastic burdens. Plastic size definitions, sampling methods, and polymer identification approaches were extracted to ensure standardization. Where studies reported inconsistent units, values were converted to facilitate cross-study comparisons. Biota microplastic abundances were standardized to microplastics individual⁻¹ whenever possible, while microplastics per gram data were retained for taxa with limited data availability. This dataset aims to evaluate whether mangroves accumulate plastics compared to other habitats and assess the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in mitigating mangrove plastic pollution.